Portable memory devices

ABSTRACT

Improved techniques to produce integrated circuit products are disclosed. The improved techniques permit smaller and less costly production of integrated circuit products. One aspect of the invention concerns covering test contacts (e.g., test pins) provided with the integrated circuit products using printed ink. Once covered with the ink, the test contacts are no longer electrically exposed. Hence, the integrated circuit products are not susceptible to accidental access or electrostatic discharge. Moreover, the integrated circuit products can be efficiently produced in a small form factor without any need for additional packaging or labels to electrically isolate the test contacts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to: (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/551,402, filed concurrently herewith, and entitled “METHOD FORPRODUCING PORTABLE MEMORY DEVICES”, and which is hereby incorporated byreference herein; (ii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/621,882,filed Jul. 17, 2003, and entitled “PERIPHERAL CARD WITH HIDDEN TESTPINS”, and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein; and (iii)U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/602,373, filed Jun. 23, 2003, andentitled “METHOD FOR EFFICIENTLY PRODUCING REMOVABLE PERIPHERAL CARDS”,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,633, and which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to integrated circuit products and, moreparticularly, to removable peripheral cards that contain one or moreintegrated circuits.

2. Description of the Related Art

As the trend for memory integrated circuit (IC) packages to be smallerand their memory density to be larger continues, advancements inpackaging integrated circuits are needed. One recent advancementinvolves stacking multiple integrated circuit dies within a single ICpackage. Such internal package stacking involves stacking a smaller dieon a larger die. Each of the dies is wire bonded to a substrate. Thistype of stacking has, for example, been used with same function dies(e.g., two Flash memory dies) or different function dies (e.g., oneFlash memory die and one SRAM die). Additionally, stacking of two orthree dies has been done for stacked Chip Scale Packages (stacked CSP)and stacked Thin Small Outline Packages (TSOP).

Memory cards are commonly used to store digital data for use withvarious products (e.g., electronic products). These memory cards areincreasingly called on to store greater and greater amounts of data.Memory cards normally provide non-volatile data storage, and thus suchmemory cards are very popular and useful because they retain data evenafter being powered-off. Examples of memory cards are Flash cards thatuse Flash type or EEPROM type memory cells to store the data. Flashcards have a relatively small form factor and have been used to storedigital data for products such as cameras, computers (hand-held,notebook and desktop computers), set-top boxes, hand-held or other smallaudio players/recorders (e.g., MP3 devices), and medical monitors. Amajor supplier of Flash cards is SanDisk Corporation of Sunnyvale,Calif.

In some cases, memory cards have conventionally been provided with a setof test pins that enable the memory card to be tested. Typically, thetest pins are utilized at the manufacturing site to test internalportions of the memory cards. However, after the memory cards are testedand ready for distribution to end-users, the test pins should not beexposed to the end-users. In the past, these test pins have been coveredby a plastic housing of the memory cards which is relatively expensiveto manufacture. More recently, for memory cards that have test pins thatare otherwise exposed, a label has been provided over the test pins. Thelabel is effective at shielding the test pins from electrostaticdischarges. The label is also effective to hide the test pins. However,the label does present some disadvantages. The application of a label toa memory card is a time consuming processing operation. In addition, thelabels can be a relatively expensive part to the overall memory card.Still further, since memory cards are typically inserted into andremoved from slots in consumer electronic devices, the memory cards needto reliably insert and eject. Often, the ejection process ismechanically assisted (e.g., spring-biased assistance). However, in somecases, the label can present substantial friction that partially impedesthe spring-based ejection of the memory card. The label also presentssharp edges that can also impede removal or ejection of memory cards.

Thus, there is a need for improved approaches to manufacture memorycards having test pins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Broadly speaking, the invention relates to improved techniques toproduce integrated circuit products. The improved techniques permitsmaller and less costly production of integrated circuit products. Oneaspect of the invention concerns covering test contacts (e.g., testpins) provided with the integrated circuit products using printed ink.Once covered with the ink, the test contacts are no longer electricallyexposed. Hence, the integrated circuit products are not susceptible toaccidental access or electrostatic discharge. Moreover, the integratedcircuit products can be efficiently produced in a small form factorwithout any need for additional packaging or labels to electricallyisolate the test contacts.

The integrated circuit products can pertain to removable peripheralcards or other removable media formed using semiconductor assemblytechniques. One type of removable peripheral card is referred to as amemory card. Memory cards are typically small, integrated circuit-basedproducts that provide data storage. These memory cards can be highlyportable and plug into or are received by ports or connectors onelectronic devices, including computers, cameras, mobile phones andPDAs.

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as asystem, apparatus, device or method. Several embodiments of theinvention are discussed below.

As memory card, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: acircuit board having a front side and a back side, the front sideincluding die attach pads, and the back side including I/O contacts andtest contacts; at least one semiconductor die attached to the front sideof the circuit board, the at least one semiconductor die beingelectrically connected to the die attach pads of the circuit board; amolding compound to encapsulate the at least one semiconductor die andthe front side of the circuit board; and an ink coating provided overthe test contacts on the back side of the circuit board but not over theI/O contacts on the back side of the circuit board.

As a method for producing a memory card, one embodiment of the inventionincludes at least: producing a plurality of memory cards, each of thememory cards having exposed test contacts; testing the memory cardsusing the exposed test contacts; and printing ink over the exposed testcontacts on the memory cards.

As an electronic system, one embodiment of the invention includes atleast a data acquisition device and a data storage device. The datastorage device is capable of storing data acquired by the dataacquisition device. The data storage device includes at least: a circuitboard having a first side and a second side, the first side includingdie attach pads, and the second side including I/O contacts and testcontacts; at least one semiconductor die attached to the first side ofthe circuit board, the at least one semiconductor die being electricallyconnected to the die attach pads of the circuit board; a moldingcompound to encapsulate the at least one semiconductor die and the firstside of the circuit board; and an ink coating provided over the testcontacts on the second side of the circuit board but not over the I/Ocontacts on the second side of the circuit board.

According to another embodiment, an integrated circuit product can beproduced in a batch by operations that include at least: providing amulti-instance leadframe or substrate having a plurality of instances,each of the instances of the leadframe or substrate having test contactsand input/output (I/O) contacts; attaching one or more dies to each ofthe instances on at least one side of the multi-instance leadframe orsubstrate; electrically connecting each of the one or more dies to therespective instance of the leadframe or substrate; thereafterencapsulating together the plurality of instances on the at least oneside of the multi-instance leadframe or substrate with a moldingcompound, wherein the test contacts and the I/O contacts remain exposed;subsequently singulating each of the plurality of instances; testingeach of the plurality of instances using the exposed test contacts; andprinting ink over the exposed test contacts on the plurality ofinstances. At least one of the plurality of instances being produced bythe operations is the integrated circuit product.

As an integrated circuit product, one embodiment of the inventionincludes at least: a circuit board having a front side and a back side,the front side including die attach pads, and the back side includingI/O contacts and test contacts; at least one semiconductor die attachedto the front side of the circuit board, the at least one semiconductordie being electrically connected to the die attach pads of the circuitboard; a molding compound to encapsulate the at least one semiconductordie and the front side of the circuit board; and an ink coating providedover the test contacts on the back side of the circuit board but notover the I/O contacts on the back side of the circuit board.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a memory card according to one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a memory card according to one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a memory card according to one embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a memory card according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a memory card according to another embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a final assembly process according to oneembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an electronic device card productionprocess according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a memory card production process accordingto one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to improved techniques to produce integratedcircuit products. The improved techniques permit smaller and less costlyproduction of integrated circuit products. One aspect of the inventionconcerns covering test contacts (e.g., test pins) provided with theintegrated circuit products using printed ink. Once covered with theink, the test contacts are no longer electrically exposed. Hence, theintegrated circuit products are not susceptible to accidental access orelectrostatic discharge. Moreover, the integrated circuit products canbe efficiently produced in a small form factor without any need foradditional packaging or labels to electrically isolate the testcontacts.

The integrated circuit products can be formed using semiconductorassembly techniques. The integrated circuit products can also have areduced form factor. The reduced form factor can be on the order of chipscale packaging. Further, the form factor can be defined at thesemiconductor assembly level of semiconductor manufacturing.

The integrated circuit products can pertain to removable peripheralcards. The removable peripheral cards can serve many applications andperform many different functions. One type of removable peripheral cardis referred to as a memory card. Memory cards are typically small,integrated circuit-based products that provide data storage. Thesememory cards plug into or are received by ports or connectors onelectronic devices, including computers, cameras, mobile phones andPDAs. The memory cards can be non-volatile memory cards. In oneembodiment, the memory cards can contain multiple integrated circuitchips stacked on one or both sides of a substrate or leadframe.

Although various figures are discussed below with reference to memorycards, other integrated circuit products can be formed from suchprocessing.

Embodiments of this aspect of the invention are discussed below withreference to FIGS. 1-12. However, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect tothese figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extendsbeyond these limited embodiments.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a memory card 100 according to one embodimentof the invention. In FIG. 1, a back side 102 of the memory card 100 isprimarily depicted. In FIG. 2, a front side 108 of the memory card 100is primarily depicted. The memory card 100 includes a plurality ofinput/output (I/O) contacts 104 (e.g., I/O pins) on the back side 102 ofthe memory card 100. Typically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the I/Ocontacts 104 are provided towards one end of the memory card 100. Inaddition, the memory card 100 has an ink coating 106. The ink coating106, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is provided on the back side 102 of thememory card 100.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, the back side 102 of the memory card100 includes a plurality of test contacts (not shown) that are exposedon the back side 102 of the memory card 100 once assembled. These testcontacts are utilized to test the memory card 100 after it has beenassembled. After the testing of the memory card 100 has completed,access to the test contacts is no longer normally needed. Hence,according to one embodiment of the invention, the ink coating 106 isprovided over the test contacts. The ink coating 106 provides electricalisolation for the test contacts which would otherwise be exposed. Theink coating 106 can prevent damage to electrical components or loss ofstored data within the memory card 100 due to electrostatic discharge.The ink coating 106 can prevent unintentional access or damage to storeddata within the memory card 100.

Further, since an end user typically has no need to utilize the testcontacts, it is desirable that the test contacts not be visible to theuser. Hence, in some embodiments, the ink coating 106 can operate tocamouflage the test contacts. For example, if the back side 102 of thememory card 100 is black in color, the ink coating 106 could utilizeblack ink to coat the electrical contacts. As a result, the existence ofthe test contacts would have been camouflaged or masked so as to be noteasily perceptible to end users of the memory card 100.

The test contacts are conventionally used to test some degree ofinternal functionality of the memory card. For example, when the memorycard includes a controller integrated circuit (controller chip/die) anda separate memory integrated circuit (memory chip/die) with internalconnections between the two chips, it may be desirable to monitor thecommunication between chips or to instruct the controller chip torelease control of these connections to an external tester. This can beaccomplished by issuing a special test command to the controller chipthrough the I/O pins of the memory card. Then, the tester can issueappropriate commands directly to the memory chip and test itsfunctionality such as writing to and reading back from the memory chip.It may also be desirable to separately access the controller chipthrough these test pins, for example to perform JTAG testing.

It is also possible to use these test pins to preload content to thememory chip and thus make such content available to the end user. Insome embodiments, this process may be performed faster than using thestandard I/O contacts since the interface to the memory chip may be aparallel interface allowing more rapid data transfer than otherwiseattainable through a host interface, which might be a slower serialinterface. In other embodiments, the ability to introduce highervoltages or source or sink higher currents than used during normaloperation may be desirable such as when the memory chip is a one-timeprogrammable device where the programming environment may be quitedifferent than the user environment.

It is well known in the art that portable memory devices, such as memorycards, can come in various different sizes, shapes and forms. To theextent that any of these types of memory cards utilize test contacts ona surface of the card, the present invention can be utilized toelectrically isolate and/or camouflage these test contacts.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a memory card 300 according to one embodimentof the invention. The memory card 300 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is amemory card in which the card has been fully formed (i.e., assembled),except that the test contacts remain exposed. Namely, the memory card300 includes a back side 302 and a front side 304. The back side 302includes I/O contacts 306 as well as test contacts 308. As shown in FIG.3, the test contacts 308 can be arranged as a two-dimensional array oftest contacts.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the memory card 300. Theback side 302 of the memory card 300 is formed from a back side of acircuit board 310. On the back side 302 are provided the I/O contacts306 and the test contacts 308. The circuit board 310 also includes afront side 312. A semiconductor die 314 can attached to the front side312 of the circuit board 310. In addition, a plurality of wire bonds 316electrically connect the semiconductor die 314 to bonding pads 318provided on the front side 312 of the circuit board 310. Although wirebonds 316 are utilized in FIG. 4, in other embodiments electricalconnections can be made by other means (e.g., solder balls).

The memory card 300 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is assembled but notcompletely formed. The test contacts 308 in the memory card 300illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 are exposed so that post-assembly testingcan be performed. Following post-assembly testing, as discussed indetail below, an ink coating is provided over the test contacts 308. Theresulting ink coating can be a uniform area that surrounds all of thetest contacts 308. Alternatively, the ink coating can be concentratedover the individual test contacts 308. The ink coating can be formed,for example, by an ink jet printing action. The ink jet printing actionoperates (via a series of nozzles) to shoot small droplets of ink onto asurface with high precision. The nozzles are part of a print head thatcan be moved back and forth (e.g., by a stepper motor) with respect tothe surface being printed. The surface being printed can also be movedrelative to the print head. The ink can be printed with high resolutionand with one or more colors. The ink jet printing action can be inducedby various technologies such as known in the art, including piezo orthermal ink jet printers. For example, suitable ink jet print heads canbe obtains by vendors such as Markem Corporation of Keene, N.H.

Although the test contacts 308 can be arranged as a two-dimensionalarray of test contacts as illustrated in FIG. 3, it should be understoodthat the test contacts can more generally be arranged in a wide range ofconfigurations on any side or surface of a memory card. The testcontacts can also be provided on more than one side or surface of amemory card. The number of test contacts can also vary withimplementation (e.g., testing needs or requirements).

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a memory card 500 according to one embodimentof the invention. The memory card 500 has a back side 502 and a frontside 504. In FIG. 5, the back side 502 of the memory card 500 isdepicted. In FIG. 6, a cross-sectional view of the memory card 500 isdepicted. The back side 502 of the memory card 500 includes I/O contacts506 and an ink coating region 508. As shown in FIG. 6, the ink coatingregion 508 coats all of test contacts 510 with a single, contiguousregion of ink. The test contacts 510 are provided at the back side 502of a circuit board 512. The I/O contacts 506 are also provided at theback side 502 of the circuit board 512. The circuit board 502 alsoincludes a front side 514. A semiconductor die 516 is attached to thefront side 514 of the circuit board 512. A plurality of wire bonds 518can serve to electrically connect the semiconductor die 516 to thecircuit board 512 via bonding pads 520 provided at the front surface 514of the circuit board 512. A molding compound 522 can be formed aroundthe semiconductor die 516 and the wire bonds 518 to form the front side504 of the memory card 500.

As shown in FIG. 6, the edges of the ink coating region 508 are rounded.Given a memory card, such as the memory card 500, is typically insertedand removed from various consumer electronic devices, the presence ofthe rounded edges for the ink coating 508 are advantageous since it isnot only results in less frictional resistance to insertion or removalbut is also less likely to cause an obstruction or interference ascompared to prior art approaches.

The front side 504 of the memory card 500 is a formed molding compound522 that encompasses the semiconductor die 516, the wire bonds 518, andthe remaining portion of the front surface 514 of the circuit board 512.The molding compound 522 thus forms the front portion (including thefront side 504) of the memory card 500. The circuit board 512 forms theback portion (including the back side 502) of the memory card 500.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a memory card 700 accordingto one embodiment of the invention. The memory card 700 illustrated inFIG. 7 is generally similar to the memory card 500 illustrated in FIG.6. However, the memory card 700 further includes a second semiconductordie 524 that is attached to the upper surface of the semiconductor die516. For example, a layer of adhesive (not shown) can be providedbetween the semiconductor die 516 and the second semiconductor die 524.The wire bonds 518 electrically connect the semiconductor die 516 to diepads 520 provided on the front surface 514 of the circuit board 512.Wire bonds 526 electrically connect the semiconductor die 524 to diepads 528 provided on the front surface 514 of the circuit board 512. Inone implementation, the semiconductor die 516 can pertain to a memoryarray that provides data storage and the second semiconductor die 524can provide a controller that controls access to the memory array by wayof the I/O contacts 506.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a memory card 800 according to anotherembodiment of the invention. The memory card 800 has a back side 802 anda front side 804. The back side 802 of the memory card 800 isillustrated in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, a cross-sectional view of the memorycard 800 is illustrated. The back side 802 of the memory card 800includes a plurality of I/O contacts 806. In addition, the back side 802of the memory card 800 includes a plurality of ink deposits 808. The inkdeposits 808 are respectively provided over electrical contacts 810. Forexample, the electrical contacts 810 being provided under the inkdeposits 808 can be arranged similar to the electrical contacts 308illustrated in FIG. 3. The back side 802 of the memory card 800 is aback side of a circuit board 812. A front side 814 of the circuit board812 has a semiconductor die 816 attached thereto. The semiconductor die816 is electrically connected by wire bonds 818 to die pads 820 providedon the front surface 814 of the circuit board 812.

The front side 804 of the memory card 800 is a formed molding compound822 that encompasses the semiconductor die 816, the wire bonds 818, andthe remaining portion of the front surface 814 of the circuit board 812.The molding compound 822 thus forms the front portion (including thefront side 804) of the memory card 800. The circuit board 812 forms theback portion (including the back side 802) of the memory card 800.

In this embodiment, the ink deposits 808 are deposited on the back side802 of the memory card 800 over the corresponding test contacts 810. Bycontrolling the quantity of ink being dispensed over each of theelectrical contacts 810, the surface of the back side 802 can besubstantially smooth, particularly when the test contacts 810 areslightly recessed within the back side 802 of the circuit board 812.

The ink being utilized to provide the ink coating or ink deposits canvary depending upon implementation. In one embodiment, the test contactsare formed of a conductive metal, such as gold or copper. In such case,it is advantageous to provide an ink that would adhere to such metal.One example of a suitable ink is available from Markem Corporation ofKeene, N.H., and can be referred to as a UV cured ink. In oneimplementation, the ink can include a Cycloaliphatic epoxy resin at40-60% by weight. Alternatively, a less expensive ink could be utilizedif a preparatory coating were provided over the test contacts. Thepreparatory coating would be designed to adhere to the test contacts andthus permit the ink to in turn adhere to the preparatory coating.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a final assembly process 1000 according toone embodiment of the invention. The final assembly process 1000provides an assembly station 1002. At the assembly station 1002, aplurality of memory cards can be assembled in a batch-automated process.In this regard, a circuit board with I/O contacts and test contacts canbe provided, one or more semiconductor dies can be placed in contactwith a first side of the circuit board, and a molding compound can beformed on at least one side of the circuit board so as to encapsulatethe one or more semiconductor dies. A second side of the circuit boardcan provide I/O contacts (e.g., I/O pins) and test contacts (e.g., testpins). Once assembly has been completed at the assembly station 1002,the memory cards being assembled are directed to a singulation station1004. At the singulation station 1004, the memory cards are singulatedinto individual memory cards. Typically, the memory cards are assembledat the assembly station 1002 as a strip of memory cards. The singulationstation 1004 can operate to cut the strip of memory cards intoindividual memory cards.

Following the singulation station 1004, a test station 1006 can beprovided to test the individual memory cards. Here, the test station1006 can utilize the test contacts that have been formed on the memorycards for the purpose of testing. Assuming that the testing completessuccessfully for the memory cards, the memory cards are then directed toa print station 1008. At the print station 1008, ink is printed onto theback side of the memory cards to cover the test contacts. After the inkhas been printed onto the back side of the memory cards so as to coverthe test contacts, the memory cards are directed to a ultraviolet (UV)station 1010. At the UV station 1010, the ink that has been dispensedonto the back side of the memory cards is exposed to UV radiation tochemically activate the curing of the ink. In this embodiment, the inkis UV cured ink. Thereafter, the memory cards are supplied to a thermalstation 1012. At the thermal station 1012, the memory cards are heated(or baked) for a predetermined period of time so as to accelerate thecuring of the dispensed ink.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of an electronic device card productionprocess 1100 according to one embodiment of the invention. Theelectronic device card production process 1100 initially provides 1102 aplurality of electronic device cards having exposed test contacts. Theplurality of electronic device cards being provided 1102 can be providedas individual electronic device cards, a strip of adjacent electronicdevice cards, or an array of electronic device cards. The strip or arrayof electronic devices can subsequently singulated into individualelectronic device cards.

At this stage of the production of the electronic device cards, theelectronic device cards are substantially complete and have beensuccessfully tested. Hence, the exposed test contacts no longer need tobe exposed and can now be protected. Accordingly, the electronic devicecard production process 1100 next applies 1104 a coating of ink over theexposed test contacts of the electronic device cards. Thereafter, theink that has been applied 1104 on the electronic device cards can becured 1106. The curing process can vary depending upon the compositionof the ink. In one embodiment, the ink is a UV-cured ink. In such case,the curing 1106 of the ink can utilize UV radiation to chemicallyactivate the curing process that can thereafter be followed by a thermal(or baking) process to accelerate the curing process. For example, theUV exposure can be for 4-20 seconds and the baking process can forapproximately twenty (20) minutes at about 140° C. Following the block1106, the electronic device card production process 1100 ends, with theelectronic device cards being produced in their final form.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of a memory card production process 1200according to one embodiment of the invention. The memory card productionprocess 1200 is, for example, one implementation of the electronicdevice card production process 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11.

The memory card production process 1200 initially fabricates 1202 astrip of memory cards having exposed test contacts. Next, the strip ofmemory cards is singulated 1204 into individual memory cards. The memorycards are then tested 1206 using the exposed test contacts associatedwith each of the memory cards. After testing has successfully completed,ink is printed 1208 over the exposed test contacts of the memory cards.Thereafter, the ink printed on the memory cards is cured 1210. Theprinted ink can serve to camouflage or mask the test contacts.Additionally, the printed ink can carry text and/or graphics forlabeling, marking, marketing, etc.

In one embodiment, the ink being printed 1208 on the memory card is a UVcured ink. Hence, in such an embodiment, the ink is cured 1210 by firstapplying UV radiation to the ink printed on the memory cards and thenapplying heat to the ink to accelerate the curing process.

Included within the scope of the invention is the possibility that thevarious steps of FIGS. 11 and 12 are performed at different times and indifferent physical locations.

The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparentfrom the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appendedclaims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention.Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur tothose skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention tothe exact construction and operation as illustrated and described.Hence, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to asfalling within the scope of the invention.

1. A memory card, comprising: a circuit board having a front side and aback side, the front side including at least one die attach pad, and theback side including I/O contacts and test contacts; at least onesemiconductor die attached to the front side of said circuit board, saidat least one semiconductor die being electrically connected to the dieattach pad of said circuit board; a molding compound to encapsulate saidat least one semiconductor die and the front side of said circuit board;and an ink coating concentrated over individual test contacts on theback side of said circuit board but not over the I/O contacts on theback side of said circuit board.
 2. A memory card as recited in claim 1,wherein said ink coating is printed onto the test contacts after thetest contacts have been used to test said memory card.
 3. A memory cardas recited in claim 1, wherein said ink coating is printed onto a regionaround about the test contacts after the test contacts have been used totest said memory card.
 4. A memory card as recited in claim 3, whereinsaid ink coating printed onto the region has rounded edges.
 5. A memorycard as recited in claim 1, wherein said ink coating isolates the testcontacts from any external electrical coupling.
 6. A memory card asrecited in claim 1, wherein said ink coating protects the test contactsfrom electrostatic discharge.
 7. A memory card as recited in claim 1,wherein the back side of said circuit board is of a first color, andwherein the ink utilized for said ink coating is of the first color. 8.A memory card as recited in claim 1, wherein said ink coating protectsthe test contacts from electrostatic discharge, and wherein said inkcoating is provided in a plurality of different colors to provide one ormore markings on said memory card.
 9. A memory card as recited in claim8, wherein the marking includes one or more of a logo, a product name,or a trade designation.
 10. A memory card as recited in claim 1, whereinsaid ink coating uses an ink that is UV curable.
 11. An electronicsystem, comprising: a data acquisition device; and a data storage deviceremovably coupled to said data acquisition device, said data storagedevice storing data acquired by said data acquisition device, and saiddata storage device including at least: a circuit board having a firstside and a second side, the first side including die attach pads, andthe second side including I/O contacts and test contacts; at least onesemiconductor die attached to the first side of said circuit board, saidat least one semiconductor die being electrically connected to the dieattach pads of said circuit board; a molding compound to encapsulatesaid at least one semiconductor die and the first side of said circuitboard; and an ink coating concentrated over individual test contacts onthe second side of said circuit board but not over the I/O contacts onthe second side of said circuit board.
 12. An electronic system asrecited in claim 11, wherein said at least one semiconductor dieincludes a memory array including a plurality of data storage elements.13. An electronic system as recited in claim 11, wherein said datastorage device is a portable data storage device.
 14. An electronicsystem as recited in claim 11, wherein said data storage device is aportable memory card.
 15. An electronic system as recited in claim 14,wherein the data storage elements are non-volatile memory elements. 16.An electronic system as recited in claim 14, wherein said dataacquisition device is a consumer electronic device.
 17. An electronicsystem as recited in claim 16, wherein the consumer electronic device isone of a camera, a network card or appliance, a hand-held or notebookcomputer, a set-top box, a hand-held or other small media device, and amedical monitor.
 18. An integrated circuit product, comprising: acircuit board having a front side and a back side, the front sideincluding die attach pads, and the back side including I/O contacts andtest contacts; at least one semiconductor die attached to the front sideof said circuit board, said at least one semiconductor die beingelectrically connected to the die attach pads of said circuit board; amolding compound to encapsulate said at least one semiconductor die andthe front side of said circuit board; and an ink coating concentratedover individual test contacts on the back side of said circuit board butnot over the I/O contacts on the back side of said circuit board,wherein a substantial portion of the back side is exposed without theink coating.
 19. An integrated circuit product as recited in claim 18,wherein said ink coating is printed onto the test contacts after thetest contacts have been used to test said memory card.
 20. An integratedcircuit product as recited in claim 18, wherein said ink coating isselectively printed over the test contacts such that a substantialportion of the back side is exposed.
 21. An integrated circuit productas recited in claim 20, wherein said ink coating printed onto the regionhas rounded edges.
 22. An integrated circuit product as recited in claim18, wherein said ink coating isolates the test contacts from anyexternal electrical coupling.
 23. An integrated circuit product asrecited in claim 18, wherein said ink coating protects the test contactsfrom electrostatic discharge.
 24. An integrated circuit product asrecited in claim 18, wherein the back side of said circuit board is of afirst color, and wherein the ink utilized for said ink coating is of thefirst color.
 25. An integrated circuit product as recited in claim 18,wherein said ink coating protects the test contacts from electrostaticdischarge, and wherein said ink coating is provided in a plurality ofdifferent colors to provide one or more markings on said integratedcircuit product.
 26. An integrated circuit product as recited in claim25, wherein the marking includes one or more of a logo, a product name,or a trade designation.